The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-12-17
SHORT MEMORIES.
The Journalist.


 for becoming cynical, or even misan- thropic, it should be working news paper men. They sec all the evil and corruption of the world, they are called upon to chronicle the crimes, the meannesses, the misjudgments of all creation, and daily come into con- tact with hundreds of matters meaner, viler and baser than anything which they send to type, matters which they suppress simply because no good pur- pose could be served by printing them. It is, perhaps, unavoidable that the journalist should see far more of the seamy side of life than other men. It is certainly unfortunate that the daily newspapers should be so largely daily records of crime, yet the public seems to demand it, and columns are devoted to murder while new, good and in- fluential book is dismissed with a few lines. The founding of church is recorded in halfa stickful, while the fail from grace of a clergyman takes a page ill the telling. It is not a pleas ant state of affairs, but it is true.
 But it'is not this constant contact with crime that is most calculated to destroy the journalists faith in human nature. IL is the persistent endeavors of the public to "work the press," to get something for nothing, that gives the newspaper man, very early in his career. the feeling that the hands of all men are upon him, trying to use him, his pen and his paper for their own personal ends without honor or profit to himself. Very few people appear to think that there is any harm in lying to newspaper man especially do they seem to feel that, if they can delude him into exploiting their schemes, sounding their praises, and assisting them to the attainment of honor or riches, by means of vague promises of future reciprocal favors of one kind or another, they are doing a very clever and altogether admirable action. The future favors generally fail to materialize. When they have sired position, the newspaper men who boosted them are given the cold shoul- der as being of no further use. There are very few of us who cannot recall to mind the theatrical manager who has familiarity slapped us on the shoul- der and called us by our first names while he was assiduously working us for free notices at the beginning of the season, but who has totally forgotten our identity when the production in which he was interested was pro- nounced a success. Of this class Mr. Henry F.. Abbey and Joseph Brooks are notable examples. This shortness of memory in theatrical men would seem to argue prevalence of incipi- ent paresis in the managerial profess sion, the result of which is horrible 10 certain amount of satisfaction in the knowledge that these very men, sooner or later, come to places in their career where they again need the assistance of the press. The satisfaction is miti- gated, however, by the fact that they generally get it. Possibly it may be because newspaper men, notwithstand- ing their experience, are unusually crcdulous, or more probably 1t is owing 10 the great truth so forcibly enunciated by Hungry Joe that "there is sucker born every hour"
 We would not urge that newspaper men should demand prompt cash payment for all favors granted, nor would we advocate venality on the part of the press. But it is fact that favors which cost nothing are valued at just about the price paid, and it seems hardly fair that the newspaper man who writes his paragraphs which are wort. hundreds of dollars to the managers, the politicians, the fnan- ciers, and the projectors of all sorts of enterprises, should have no share in the results, but should be secretly laughed at as fool for tn: pains. To be sure, from a standpoint of strict journalistic ethics, nothing should be 1 printed that has not value, either as news or opinion. But we are obliged to take things, in measure, as we find them, and it is but fair that, if 1 Thomas, Richard and Henry persist in 1 their attempts to use the news and editorial columns for advertising pur- poses, Thomas, Richard and Henry should be compelled to pay roundly for the privilege.
 ] Above all, newspaper men should combine in an earnest effort to strengthen the memories of their es- teemed fellow citizens, an end which can, perhaps, be best obtained by an occasional judicious loss of their own memories, as circumstances may seem to demand.